Austrian court clears accused over ski train blaze

An Austrian court acquitted 16 people on Thursday of responsibility for a ski train blaze that killed 155 tourists in November 2000, saying the disaster could not have been foreseen.
Relatives of the dead shouted in protest from the public gallery or walked out as the judge cleared the resort workers, train operators and safety inspectors of negligence in Austria's deadliest post-war disaster.
"The court did not have an easy time reaching this decision," Judge Manfred Seiss said in announcing the verdict.
Only 12 people survived the accident at the Alpine ski resort of Kaprun when fire raced through a funicular train, bringing its two crowded carriages to a halt in a tunnel.
Prosecutors said an electric heater not designed for use in vehicles had caused the blaze, that there had been no fire-fighting equipment in the carriages and that the doors had failed to open when the train stopped, trapping the passengers.
But the defendants, who could have been jailed for up to five years, argued that no one could have foreseen the chain of events that led to the deaths. The judge agreed.
He said they had had no reason to suspect the heater was not up to standard, and added that the train's construction had been approved by state inspectors.
"The train conformed to the latest technical standards and all requirements were fulfilled," Seiss said.
But families of the dead were livid. One lawyer said they would try to bring a class-action suit in the United States.
"Where is justice? Where is fairness? Good luck Austria! In my eyes there is no justice in Austria," said Peter Decker, whose 34-year-old son died in the blaze.
"I feel sick, I feel nauseous. I am very sad that I live in a country where justice works this way."
Ursula Geiger from Germany, who lost her son, walked out while the verdict was being read.
"I just couldn't listen to it. Austrian laws have so many holes that the prosecutors couldn't find the guilty parties."
The dead included German, Japanese and US tourists as well as Austrians. The 12 people who survived managed to break open a window and escape.